Jude's First Birthday Party

Well, all of our work paid off!

Jude's Birthday Party came and went and it was a great time!

We had (more than) enough food, drinks, cakes, etc.

We were going for a pretty laid back event and I'm pretty sure that was successful. Everyone showed up right around 2:00. Everyone hung out, ate and mingled for awhile and then I decided to do cake.

We had bought a cake for the guests to eat and since I wanted to make a cake for Jude, I made a special one for him.

This was the cake for the guests:

it was a Doctor Seuss theme and looked AWESOME! I loved it! I let Cannon's pretty much design it on their own and I'm so happy I did!

They put little blurbs from different books...

Jude's cake was a banana cake. I used all vegan ingredients (from a vegan cookbook) so that my dear friend Meghan could indulge in Jude's first Birthday cake. Jude loved it! I changed the recipe just a little, but it turned out well (I took some ingredients out, added some extra of another and used a different frosting than they called for).

Everyone gathered in the front yard to sing happy birthday.... so the candle barely stayed aflame.

We opted out of the big "open presents in front of everyone thing". Instead, as most people were leaving, I gave Jude his gifts and opened the cards myself. He only got a handful of toys and played with them all.

Jude's mom-mom (my mom) made him his first birthday shirt

He looked so cute in his little hat!

We had ooddles of food - and Ryan played grill master... and then turned it over to Curt. Speaking of food, I made a Strawberry layer cheesecake thing as my final 'seasonal dessert'! I got the recipe from Barbie. Of course I can't just make it as indicated, so I changed it a bit. I had it at a mom's night and personally thought it could use more strawberries and pound cake, so I got about double the pound cake and easily double the strawberries. I started with the whipped cream bottom, strawberries and pound cake, then did the whipped cream, more pound cake and the rest of the strawberries. The melted chocolate over the strawberries was oh-so-yummy. The dish was gone in minutes!

But back to the birthday... Jude didn't get strawberry cheesecake... instead he got some of the fruit salad.

All in all, it was a great day! The weather was wonderful and the friends were just as lovely.

After just about everyone cleared out, Ryan started up a fire pit and we sat around and hung out for the evening. After a long day, Jude slept like a champ.

Our Second Cinco de Mayo Together

Jude's 1st Birthday was fairly uneventful.

The night before his birthday, I set up his toy room so that he could wake up and go downstairs to play. He seemed confused about why all of his toys were moved, but seem interested in the new space.




After breakfast we had his 12 month check up. He unfortunately had to have 2 shots... which I felt terrible about! The check up went normally. Jude is right on track and doing well. He was 19lbs 15 ounces and 29.5" long. The doctor mentioned that he has noticed that Jude may have a slight heart murmur, but that there's nothing to be concerned about. He advised me that it's not uncommon in young children (and I compared it to my dog Zoey... she had one too that she was supposed to outgrow). He said it's so slight that he has no restrictions for Jude, he just thought he'd let me know in case for some reason someone else noticed it and mentioned it. He didn't want us to think he wasn't paying attention.

I got the go ahead to stop nursing and to switch to whole milk. We're still not totally ready... but at least the options there.

After our check up we had a nice relaxing lunch with Uncle Bryan and Aunt Katy and then headed home. I considered going to a park or something, but there was much to do around the house. Instead, Jude and I planted some stuff in the garden and once Ryan got home we did some painting and finishing touches on Jude's toy room (photos to follow).

The day quickly got away from us and so we decided to go out for dinner. Being Cinco De Mayo, we tried to be a little festive. We went to Applebees. Ok... that's not the festive part... Ryan got a Corona, I got a Margarita (or two...).

After hurrying home to meet up with Uncle Byran and Aunt Katy and Ryan Creed, we gave Jude his first of three birthday cakes. It was a classic funfetti cake with vanilla frosting, and Jude loved it.











The day really went by so quickly. It's still hard to believe that he's a year old!

**I can 'technically' cross off 'make jude a birthday cake' from my list with this cake... but I'd say I officially crossed it off with his birthday party cake. Either way, it's done!

More Birthday Talk

Tonight, I told Ryan that we needed to make a decision on all of this birthday talk. I wanted to order invitations and set things into motion if there was going to be a party.

Would we be planning a small get away? Would we be having a big bash? Would we be doing anything? Maybe just dinner for the three of us? We talked about a pavilion, our house and a number of other things. We wrote out guests lists, we calculated numbers, we discussed a budget and we pondered over themes, invitations, menus and more.

We narrowed it down to three possibilities (which didn't narrow it much at all):
1. A VERY small vacation. We're talking maybe a long weekend. Probably a couple of weeks after Jude's actual birthday. (this was more me considering this than Ryan)
2. A large party at our house - inviting the almost 100 people on our guest 'wish' list (Ryan was in favor of this option)
3. A smaller party at a park pavilion or some other sort of outdoorsy type of venue. This would require cutting the guest list (which as usual would mean you're cutting the people you REALLY want to keep the necessary family members).

I looked at zoos, museums, parks, and much more for birthday packages. I punched more numbers, I pondered over the guest list. I punched more numbers and looked at even more venues. I searched for get-away locations, I punched more numbers. I walked through our house and assessed the current state of construction, considered our time line, punched more numbers and still was unsure. I looked over the guest list again, came to terms with the fact we probably wouldn't be going on a vacation and started to decide which of the remaining two options worked for us.

I then made a deal with Ryan that if he puts our house back together, then we'd have the party at our here. This would save us over 100 dollars on a pavilion and allow for the maximum number of guests.

So, we're having a party. A big party. A BBQ party. At our house.

So, I'm totally in party planning mode... and am currently picking out a theme... and need your help... I have a pole to the right - please leave your opinion.

Speaking of Birthdays..

I'm going to elaborate a little more on the birthday issue.

I'm very torn about what to do.

I've always assumed I would have a big house party for my child for his/her first birthday. I assumed a cake, food, family and friends. A big present with a fancy red bow and hundreds of presents from everyone.

Eventually the idea of hundreds of presents made me sick to my stomach and my throwing a party was less important. I wanted to take him somewhere special for his first birthday where we could share time with just us (and maybe some other family members or friends) soaking up his first birthday. Absorbing those moments and making them our own. I am just itching for a vacation, so I figured mesh the two and take him to Disney. I'm pretty sure I was convinced that's what we were doing and have given little to no thought to an actual birthday party.

Well, now here we are two months before Jude's first birthday and I'm back to square one. Should we skip any sort of celebration and just take him somewhere on his birthday - take any money that would have gone into a party and get him a cool gift? Throw a very small and intimate party for family? Throw a big party for all of our friends and family?

Throwing a big party at our house is pretty much out of the question right now. We're under construction and I have no desire to try and patch things up quickly for the party (and would not have people over until it's done). I've considered a pavilion at a park - which is right now towards the top of my list. But big parties mean lots of gifts, spending more money and a lot less "family" time.

A small get together might be dinner out, maybe taking a couple of people to a local museum or play center with pizza and cake. We wouldn't get a million presents, we could be greedy about Jude time and it'd cost a lot less money.

Whatever the decision, it needs to be made soon. If we're doing a party, invitations need to be ordered, guest lists need to be made and plans need to be set in motion. Even thought you always hear that they won't remember, it's still important to me that we do something special to acknowledge his big day.

Question: What would you do? If you didn't do a party, did you regret it? If you did a party, was it worth it? Can you think of any other option?

Free Disney

Ryan and I are in desperate need of a vacation. I know to most, it might seem like it hasn't been THAT long since we've went away, but in my opinion it's felt like forever (really, it's been less than a year - but by the time we actually plan and DO something - it will have been about a year... or more).

I'm the queen of planning trips without considering the cost. A couple of months ago, Ryan and I were seconds away from hitting 'submit' on a weekend cruise. Not long after that, a conversation with some friends had us (me) convinced we'd be going to Costa Rica in June. Of course I knew the truth, that we wouldn't be going, but it's so nice to pretend sometimes.

Well, Ryan and I recently had a conversation where we discussed going on a mid-sized vacation in May. We already have plans to go to Hawaii in October, but I'd really like to squeeze something in before then. As of right now, we're considering a small sized roadtrip to Florida. There's a shuttle launch scheduled for May and we could spend a day in Disney in addition to a few other small things.

Part of me decided this would be great because it would be in May. May is Ryan's birthday month, Jude's birthday month and our anniversary. It would be a celebration of sorts for all three events. In addition, Ryan would get in free for his birthday. It just seemed perfect.

Well, the down side is that if we did this mini vacation, we would not be having a big 1st Birthday party for Jude like we had expected. However, part of me thinks making May "Annual Kennedy Vacation Month" would be a great idea! At least until Jude is old enough to decide if he wants a vacation or a party. There's still a lot to consider, but part of me is convinced we'll be going on vacation in May.

In planning for this, I went on to Disney's web page and tried to look up the free park entry for birthday's. I'm pretty sure Jude is free either way, but it'd be nice to not have to pay for either Ryan or I. Well, I found the information and unfortunately the free day for your b-day ends December, 2009.

There was more information though that actually seemed to be right up my ally. Instead of birthday's, if you volunteer for a day (and follow their stipulations) you get a free day at Disney! If we do decide to take the trip, I'm going to volunteer for a day (and try to convince Ryan to do the same). In addition to marking some time off my 101, I'll be saving money! Yea!

A Lovely Bash

This past weekend Jude and I went to a Birthday party for a lovely little lady: Ava Noelle.

I met Ava and her mother through Barbie. Barbie knows a group of mothers who all have kids around the same age and I was lucky enough to be 'accepted' into their November-Baby group.

The party was held in Nicole's house and it was a sweet little party. It felt like there were kids EVERYWHERE in the house. They were all rolling and crawling and walking (and in one case practically running) around the living room.

Jude with his new found mobility kept to himself but was getting around pretty well.

Six Months...

Six Months. SIX months! JUDE IS SIX MONTHS OLD! It's so crazy!

It's so hard for me right now to imagine a time when he wasn't a part of our lives. Practically every minute of my life is spent thinking about him, how he's doing, growing and becoming our little guy. However, it's crazy to think that it's been half a year since he was born! It feels like just yesterday we were putting the finishing touches on his nursery, washing all the new clothes from the baby shower, packing my hospital bag, being induced, delivering and adjusting to our new life with this new person. It's all happened so quick, which makes him being such a significant part of our family even more amazing.

He' so quickly growing and getting his own personality. He smiles, he laughs, he 'hugs'.

Some of the amazing things he's just begun doing now that he's approaching six months:

- He knows where his milk comes from. When he's hungry, he knows where to go and while mildly creepy, it's endearing.

- As we've discussed he's eating solids (not a lot and not for any significant calorie intake, but he's experimenting). He picks it up, plays with it, sometimes puts it in his mouth... rarely swallows. We're really in no rush with this as breast milk will continue to be his main food source through 1 year.

- Currently he's laying on his stomach in front of me and actually playing with his toys. He's pulling them back and forth in front of him, he's chewing them and he's finding ways to move closer to them (without actually crawling). In short: he's becoming more and more mobile.

- Recently he's started to "pet" Buddy. He's very interested in Buddy and loves his kisses he gets from him.

- He loves to pull people close to him. Usually this requires him to grab on to your hair, face, ears, whatever he can get and tug. He'll either give baby 'kisses' or try and suck on your nose, etc.

In addition, he's still a champion thumb sucker, he loves to talk and tell 'stories', he likes to be read to, he's looking more and more like his daddy, he hates to be alone, he loves to be held, he can sit in a highchair at a restaurant, for the most part he's still a great sleeper, he wants to put everything in his mouth (except his food), he is easily distracted while nursing and we are on and off about Elimination Communication.

He's had his first Memorial Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day and Halloween. He's gone to his first kiddie birthday party, participated in a mini Halloween Parade and much more.

Already so many exciting things and still so much more ahead of us!

I'm so excited for the next 6 months and see what they bring. More holidays, milestones and the cherry on top: his first birthday!

There are a handful of mothers I know who are all currently planning/executing first birthday's and it's such an exciting thing for us to look forward to! I know that I won't even begin planning his first birthday until after the holidays, but I'm already trying to think of exciting and fun things to do! No matter how much I want him to stay small and precious, I'm also very eager for what the future holds and watching him become more of an individual.

So.. here he is at 6 months!

And with his 6 month birthday present which he LOVES:

Happy Birthday Buddy

Ryan and I adopted Buddy from Faithful Friend in 2007. At that time Bryan and Katy were volunteering there and Ryan and I had been on and off about wanting another dog. Bryan and Katy told us we should go up and look around at the rescue dogs, so of course we did.

Before going, B and K had told us about this one dog Buddy that they loved and we just HAD to meet. At the time though, there was a pending application for him, so we didn't think it would happen. In addition we had Zoey at the time, so we needed to consider a dog that would play well with her.

When we went in, Ryan fell in love with Buddy. Any time someone went near his cage, he would pick up his toy and turn in circles just begging for attention. At the time, I think I was still hoping for another Lab and so almost didn't give Buddy a shot. However, after a little while I realized how lovable and cuddly he really is! Like I said though, there was already and application against him. We left that day thinking we wouldn't get Buddy, but had a few other dogs in mind as potentials.

Fortunately for us though, we had eyes on the inside and when the application for Buddy fell through, we were right there to scoop him up! However, we were faced with another obstacle: Zoey. First of all, she wasn't spayed and second, Buddy had been classified as "toy possessive" and so they recommended that the person adopting Buddy not have any other dog. These rules are set in place specifically because they want the best possible home life for dogs who have already been through so much and they are hoping that these homes are forever homes, not temporary (having two dogs who don't get a long could cause the owner to want to get rid of one...).

We got another wave of luck though, because when they re-tested him (whatever that includes) they determined that they thought he'd be fine with another dog! So, we set up an appointment to get Zoey spayed and were eager to get the newest addition to our family home! It made me so sad tot hink he was being stored in a cage almost 23 hours a day, so we wanted things to move quickly!

After getting spayed they wanted Zoey to have a few days recovery before bringing Buddy home, so we held off over Labor Day weekend and picked Buddy up the Wednesday following the weekend. Since then, we have celebrated Buddy's Birthday on the 5th, which is the day we picked him up. His real birthday (and real age) are unknown. At the time it was assumed he was about 2 and a half - so he's "about" 4 and a half now. It's so sad to see he is already gettign some gray wiskers. He has without a doubt been a great dog for our family.

To celebrate his birthday this year, I got him one of the most delicious looking dog treats i could find:

The poor guy was afraid of the flame and tried to run away while we were singing happy birthday:

But of course, once the flame was out, he was all over the treat:

As I mentioned before he's a little possessive and he knew Duncan was somewhere in the house so he tried to run and hide it... too bad for him all the doors upstairs were closed...

We broke just a little piece off to give to his doggy friend...

And finally Buddy settled down on the couch to enjoy...

A Big Weekend for my Big Boy! (and Mommy)

Late Night at K&B's

After Ryan got off work on Saturday we headed over to Kevin and Barbie's for a family-friendly BBQ. We got there late, but it was still a grand time as always. They had a slip-n-slide set up and even though the water was chilly Ryan made a couple of slips down.

Other than that, we mostly just hung out and chatted and just generally enjoyed ourselves. Bryan and Katy were also invited and so the six (plus 2 youngin's) had a good 'ol time - everyone else had gotten there much earlier than us, so they headed out not too long after we arrived.

Jude was a trooper the whole time and of course, slept.

Cloth Diapers

When we brought Jude home from the hospital he was too tiny for his cloth diapers. I had read before that typically they fit babies around 10lbs and up, so I expected we'd have a little lag time before we'd be able to use them. We had gotten quite a few packs of disposable diapers from family members who assumed cloth diapers wouldn't last for us. While it was annoying that they assumed we'd never stick with it, it was convenient that we didn't have to buy disposables of our own!

Today when I went into Jude's drawer that holds all of his disposables, I noticed that he was running pretty low - he still has enough for a couple more days, but not too much. I was dreading having to go out and buy diapers so thought "why not just TRY the cloth diapers?". Holding them up to the disposables they looked huge and I just assumed they'd never fit. Much to my surprise they fit him fine (he's not 10lbs, so I'm guessing that was an estimate)! There's a bit of bulk since there's enough fabric for them to grow with him, but they fit the curves of his legs and waist great!

Jude must have noticed the change in underoo's because he decided to make some extra work for mommy. Every time I put a diaper on him he's start pooing and of course that meant swapping out to a new diaper. I'm still adjusting to figuring out how to tell if he's wet or not with the cloth diapers (with disposable, it's very obvious!), but I just keep checking them (see "mommy melt down" on how my frequent checking back fired) and I'm sure I'll be used to it in no time.

Just a side note: the fact that Jude doesn't have "solid poo" is comforting and reassuring that this should be a breeze as the "scrapping" of the chunks is the scariest part!

My First Mommy Melt-Down:

Since Jude has come home (and even in the hospital) I have felt so lucky about how well behaved he is. He sleeps well, rarely cries for "no reason" and is just a great baby! I enjoy every minute with him and have only spent about an hour away from him during my first week home when I went to the grocery store - I just hate the idea of leaving him (obsessive??). I hear stories all the time about hormones and adjusting to being with the baby and I felt so lucky that I just didn't experience any of that!

Without getting too far into it Ryan's been working a lot at Lowe's and so really, even if I wanted time a lone it's pretty much impossible. Today I was frustrated that he was working and really just wanted a little break (not to mention I didn't want to spend the day a lone and go to the b-day party - below- solo). So, already annoyed I head for the party. I was already out and about and instead of going home to feed Jude before heading to the park, I figured I'd stop in a parking lot to feed him in the back seat. It was hot out and the car wouldn't get cool, so he didn't eat very well. Concerned that I'd have to feed him again later at the party, I got a little worried about how that would play out, but went with it anyway.

I figured since he had his new cloth diapers on I should check and see what was going on. I take off his diaper and it seems a little wet, so I decided to just change him so he'll be fine through the party. I have him sitting on my lap (remember I'm sitting in the back seat) and as I take off his diaper he lets out a little gas. I chuckle and sweet talk him and as I lift his bum to put the new diaper underneath the worst thing ever happened. Like a hose he shoots poo all over my shirt. I was mortified and disgusted. I contemplated just driving home, closing myself in the room and staying there forever - I was frustrated. On top of my previous frustration, I was done.

I take a few breaths and ran into the store I was parked in front of to buy a new shirt. Problem solved.

Fast forward through the birthday party. Ryan and I are supposed to head over to Bryan and Katy's. I look down at the t-shirt I had bought and I have a HUGE milk spot on my right boobie (the extra leaky one). Apparently the nipple pads just weren't enough. I told Ryan I wanted to go home and stay there all night. Without bawling like a baby, I shed my first few post-baby tears and we went home.

After getting myself cleaned up, feeding Jude a REAL feeding (to empty those milk bags) I felt much better. Looking back I feel a little lame (none of it is THAT big of a deal), but I can officially say I've had my first mommy melt-down. I survived, I feel fine now, but hope tomorrow is much rosier.

Jude's First Birthday Party:

When we came home from the hospital, waiting in the mail box was a invitation from Ryan's long time friend, Rob inviting us to his son's 3rd birthday. I was excited because already Jude would be going to his first "kiddy birthday!". Unfortunately, Ryan had to work today, so Jude and I made the trek together. First we went to Toys 'R Us and got some nifty gifts (insert melt down) and then went to Lums Pond and got our party on.

While the party was precious, with a pony and all a yummy bbq, it was a little weird being there and not really "knowing" anyone too well. It was nice however that all of Rob's family that have known Ryan since he was just a bitty baby got to meet Ryan's baby!

Ryan ended up showing up right when things were getting packed up, but at that point we were already on our way out. Hopefully next time it'll be a little more successful.

BBQ at B&K's

Finally - Bryan and Katy's. As always a glorious time.




We played Catch Phrase (is that what it was called??), passed babies around, chatted, ate, saw Trent's first tooth (!!) and just relaxed. After it got dark there was a little fire pit action.

The night also brought out the mosquitos! After a long day I was ready to settle in at home anyway, so we scooted out around 9:00 or so. Still, a fun time!

My boys all tuckered out:

Ryan's B-day Celebration

May 20th was Ryan's birthday. As with many of the other significant days in the near future, Ryan had to work at Lowe's, so we weren't able to really celebrate.

Instead he decided he wanted to invite a few friends out for dinner on Thursday (last night). It was very low key and he requested that we didn't have the whole restaurant sing happy birthday to him. As difficult as it was not to embarrass him, I agreed and we just ate and had a good time.

RIGHT before leaving for the restaurant I had fed Jude and knew that 1. He'd sleep through the majority of dinner and 2. he wouldn't be eating again for another 2 hours or so. I took this opportunity to have my SECOND adult beverage since I've given birth - a glass of sutter home! Yummy!

Me and my FIRST adult drink (at our anniversary dinner):

After dinner we headed back to our house for a little ice cream cake. Ryan was a little tired and everyone had work the next day so we called it quits around 9:30 or so, but it was still nice doing a little something to celebrate Ryan transitioning in to his "late 20's".

Ryan is generally a difficult person to shop for. He usually doesn't want anything and so I buy him things that remind me of him for some reason or things he "needs" (new clothes, shoes, etc.). we had just gotten him new sneakers a few weeks ago and he really doesn't need any new clothes, so I had to go another route. First we bought him a new drill (which is for work, so doesn't really count as a b-day gift) and a baseball glove! He's been wanting a baseball glove for some reason and my mom sent him a check to cover part of it. The other day we went out and I realized that 25 dollars just wasn't enough for a glove and so i bought him the rest of the glove and a couple of balls and some "leather conditioner". He was more than excited and the next day I saw it already wrapped up with conditioner on it to get him ready for his catch (or whatever it is that he plans to do with it). I'm always thrilled when he actually uses something I buy him!

Changes in Technology and Design

For my brithday this year I was given a glorious gift from my brother Bryan. For quite some time now I've been casually mentioning that I need a backup hard drive for my computer. I have well over 10,000 pictures on my computer and I honestly feel that I would be completely devastated if I were to loose any significant number of them. I have some various images that I've printed over time. Random photos posted on web pages and my blog, but would never be able to re-collect the bulk of them.

So, my dear brother bought me an amazing external hard drive. I was aiming for a small average sized amount of memory, but he went above and beyond. In addition to purchasing it, he even installed the hardware and helped me perform my first upload. It really is a weight lifted off my shoulders not worrying if my 4 or 5 year old computer will crash any day now erasing the memory.

In addition to my hard drive I got another rather large gift. My mom contributed to get me a coffee table for our living room! When Ryan purchased the house, neither of us had any real furniture to bring. With my taste for nice things, it's be a slow process gathering pieces that would fianlly furnish the house. For our living room, the missing pieces were tables (as we bought the couch and chair already). I can't wait to get it!

It's my party I can jump-on-the-trampoline-in-the-rain if I want to...

Thursday was my BIRTHDAY! It started out kinda unamazing. I hit traffic on my way to work and was kinda grouchy about some work-related things, but after that, it was great!

I had called a couple of people to come join me for ICE CREAM CAKE (which I had been craving for QUITE some time!). Fehgan, Greg, Barbie, Kevin, Me, Ryan and Bryan Katy and Ryan Creed and Josh B. were all there. I didn't plan on that many folks attending, but there was plenty of cake to go around!

We jumped on the trampoline, we had food (ALOT OF FOOD) and ate cake. I got a lap dance - and some outside dishware and some Eiffle Tower panties. It was FAbulous! Who could want anything else? No one.